


Different

by MusicalFangirl00193



Series: Dragons, Mates, and Children [3]
Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: Feels, Gen, Reincarnation, Sadness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-16
Updated: 2016-10-16
Packaged: 2018-08-22 16:36:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8292599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MusicalFangirl00193/pseuds/MusicalFangirl00193
Summary: 10 years after the end of In Threes adn Fours, little baby Timothy continues his family's work of learning about and helping dragons.





	

**Author's Note:**

> _'Mindspeak'_  
>  "Dragonspeak"  
>  "Normalspeak"  
> 

I felt the eyes of the whole village on me. I made another circle around the pen, but the dragons, that had previously been ignoring me, began to growl.

 

I left the pen, without a dragon, the first ever. I stood for a minute, between my mom and dad, poppa and momma behind me, all four dragon heads surrounding us.

 

A sob tore from my throat as I ran from my parents, from my sisters who had been matched with their dragons, from everything that reminded me of my failure, of my lack of a dragon. The disappointment in my grandma's eyes.

 

When I stopped, the tears streaming from my eyes and my chest heaving, I fell to the ground, and leaning against a rock, pulling my knees to my chest, I fell asleep.

 

...

 

A loud noise, an explosion, woke me suddenly.

 

Shooting up, my eyes darted around the area that I had fallen asleep. It was a cove. There was a pond in the middle, surrounded by trees. The rock that I had slept against was half way between the rock wall that circled the cove and the pond.

 

I carefully made my way around the pond, to where the sound had come from. Reaching the other side of the pond, I saw a broken dragon egg, still warm from hatching. I looked around the cove, searching for the hatchling.

 

A soft growl reached my ears and I turned, seeing the hatchling further up the bank. It was small, smaller than a Gronkle hatchling but larger than a Terror hatchling. He was black, pure black with chocolate brown eyes that were glaring at me.

 

"Hey bud," I said gently, reaching for the pouch on my belt that held fish, that I had been going to give my dragon. "I'll bet you're hungry."

 

The hatchling sniffed the air. He slowly approached me, carefully taking the fish from my outstretched hand, eating it in one gulp.

 

A second later, half of the fish came back up. The dragon stepped back and looked at me expectantly. I picked up the fish he had spit back up and took a bite of the raw fish, suppressing my gag reflex, I swallowed it, giving the hatchling a smile.

 

It looked at me curiously, before climbing into my lap, nipping my hand, just enough to draw a bit of blood, and fell asleep.

 

I gently stroked the hatchling's head until I was sure it was asleep. I stood up, careful not to jostle the sleeping hatchling. Slowly, I made my way back to the village.

 

...

 

"Timothy where have you been?!?" Mom asked, half yelling, running out of the house as soon as I was in sight of it.

 

"Shh," I said softly, holding up a hand to stop the hug I knew was coming otherwise. "You'll wake him."

 

"Him?" Mom asked, stopping, running a calculating eye over me, trying to tell what I was talking about.

 

"I found him in the woods. He just hatched and there wasn't any grown dragons, or even a nest. He needs me Mom."

 

The hatchling stirred, lifting his head to look at Mom. He looked back at me, rubbing his cheek against the bite on my finger.

 

' _Where are we? Who is she?'_ a small voice in my head asked.

 

I jumped, startled by the sudden touch, a new presence in my mind.

 

_'This is my mom. We're home,'_ I thought cautiously.

 

A warm sense of contentment flooded through the new mental link and the hatchling settled down in my arms.

 

_'What's your name?'_ I asked before he could fall asleep.

 

_'Toothless.'_

 

...

 

"Where did you find him?" Savanah asked, gently stroking Toothless' head.

 

"This little cove in the woods. There's a pond and the whole thing is surrounded by rock, it's amazing I'll have to show you one day," I said, watching carefully. Toothless didn't take well to most people. "He likes you."

 

"And I like him," she said happily, "He's adorable."

 

"We have to go now," I said, "I promised Grandma I'd come over today and introduce him to Toothless."

 

Toothless sat up, ears perked _'Hiccup?"_

 

_'Grandma,'_ I corrected in my mind, _'Let's go.'_

 

Toothless stood up, nuzzling my hand, waiting for me to lead the way.

 

"See you later Savanah," I said, following Toothless into the village.

 

"Grandma!" I called into his house, opening the door. "We're here!"

 

"I'm in the workshop!" Grandma called from the back of the house.

 

I followed his voice deeper into the house, glancing at the inventions that lined the halls, all made by Grandma.

 

"So this is him," Grandma commented when we entered the workshop.

 

Toothless looked at Grandma, sniffing is hand when he extended it. _'I like him,'_ Toothless said, licking the hand.

 

"What kind of dragon is he?" Grandma asked, stroking his head, "He's awfully small, even for a hatchling. Unless he's a Terror."

 

"He's a Night Fury," I said, "He told me, and his name is Toothless."

 

Grandma looked shocked, turning pale and stumbling back into a chair.

 

"Are you okay Grandma?" I asked worriedly, hovering next to him.

 

"Do you know what happened to my dragon?" he said eventually, "And your grandfather? Do you know his name?"

 

I shook my head, curious. "Mom always said she would tell me when I was older. What happened to them?"

 

"You've heard of how I met my dragon?"

 

I nodded, everyone on Berk knew the story of Hiccup and his dragon.

 

"One day, after about six years, my dragon disappeared. I went for a walk in the woods to find him. I found a boy instead, but I was drawn to him, like I had been to my Toothless, my dragon, my best friend. I took him home and Jess nursed him back to health.

 

"When he woke up, three days later, he told me that he was Toothless, _my dragon_. He was my best friend, we were inseparable.

 

"Then came our first mating season. He tricked me into mating with him. Toothless got sick when your mom was 10. He held on, just long enough to see you, his first grandson, and he died.

 

"But now he has another chance," Grandma said, scratching Toothless' head. "You're a good match. Take care of each other."

 

"We will Grandma," I said, sensing the finality in his voice. "I love you."

 

"I love you too Timothy," Grandma said, giving me a hug, "Tell your mom that I love her too."

 

I nodded as a knock came on the door.

 

"Hiccup!" Grandma Astrid's voice came from the other side. "One of the wild Nightmares went on a rampage in the Academy. We need you!"

 

Grandma smiled softly, standing from his chair, kissing me on the top of the head and making his way to the door. "Tell your mother not to grieve," he said softly, resting his hand on the door handle. "I'm going to see my Toothless."

 

I nodded, knowing this would be the last time I saw Grandma. I saw a change go over him, he was no longer the small, quiet, almost broken, man I had known my whole life, he was a dragon trainer, the best, the first, Berk had ever seen, ready to face his fate.

 

The door opened, and Grandma was gone. Forever.

 

It finally hit me, he was gone, Grandma was never coming back. I slumped forward, resting my head on the table, sobs racking my body. Toothless nuzzled my hand. _'It'll be okay Timmy, Hiccup wouldn't want you to cry.'_

 

I sat up, looking at the door. "You're right," I said out loud. "Grandma wouldn't want me to be sad. Come on," I said, standing up and heading out the door, "We have places to be."

 

_'Where are we going?'_ Toothless asked, following me out of the house.

 

_'The Academy.'_

 

...

 

_'I don't think he would want us to be here,'_ Toothless said nervously. _'He said goodbye at the house.'_

 

_'You just don't like the Academy because everyone is bigger than you,'_ I retorted, _'Now be quiet, I want to hear.'_

 

Toothless crouched next to me, as close as he could. I approached the chains that encased the Academy.

 

There was a Nightmare in the middle of the floor. It was huge, bigger than Hookfang, the biggest Nightmare I'd seen before this one.

 

Grandma and Grandma Astrid were in the center of the ring, trying to calm the dragon. Snotlout stood on the side of the ring, as a second line of defense. There was a sword next to him as a last resort.

 

The Nightmare growled, swiping at Grandma. Grandma didn't back away, getting closer to the Nightmare, trying to calm the dragon. The Nightmare burst into flames, swiping again.            

 

I watched in horror, unable to pull my eyes away from what was happening. The swipe connected, throwing Grandma back into the wall of the arena.

 

Grandma Astrid cried out, running to Grandma, turning her back on the Nightmare, the biggest mistake anyone can make with a wild dragon.

 

It hit Grandma Astrid throwing her onto the ground next to Grandma. Snoutlout yelled something I didn't hear and grabbed the sword, making quick work of the dragon.

 

But it was too late for Grandma and Grandma Astrid. They were both dead.

 

...

 

"Hey Timothy," Savanah said, sitting next to me on the cliff that over looked the docks. "You okay?"

 

"I'm getting there," I said, listening to Toothless. He was telling me stories about when Grandma had been young. "I still can't believe he's gone."

 

"I know," Savanah said, throwing her feet over the edge of the cliff. "It came as a shock to the whole village."

 

"Yeah," I said, curling up closer to Toothless as images of yesterday flooded my mind again.

 

Toothless stopped talking, curling around me and started to purr, but I'd always known Toothless was special.

 

_'Do you want me to get rid of her?'_ Toothless asked, resting his head on top of mine.

 

_'Yeah,'_ I said, moving closer to Toothless. _'I don't want to be around anyone else.'_

 

Toothless stood up, _'I'll be right back.'_

 

I nodded, sitting up. Toothless stood next to Savanah. He nudged her gently. Savanah looked up at him but didn't move. He nudged her again and Savanah stood up, backing away from the cliff a bit.

 

"Toothless, what are you doing?" I heard her ask as Toothless nudged her back towards the village. When she was out of sight, well on her way to the village, Toothless came back and curled up around me again.

 

_'How do you know so much about Grandma?'_ I asked as the sun set and they lit the funeral pyres for Grandma and Grandma Astrid.

 

_'Because I lived it,'_ Toothless said simply.

 

_'How?'_ I asked, _'I was there when you hatched.'_

 

_'Night Furies are like the phoenix,'_ Toothless said, _'There are few of our kind, but when one dies, it is reborn, with just a new body.'_

 

_‘But what about Grandma? He said he was going to see you in Valhalla, how can he see you there if you’re here?’_

 

_‘When a Night Fury dies, a part of their soul dies as well, the part that made them strictly them, and each new Night Fury replaces that part with a part of their own, making each unique yet the same.’_

 

I thought this over for a minute. _'So you remember everything about Grandma, and Mom when she was growing up?’_

 

Toothless chirred a positive. _'The stories I could tell you.'_

 

I grinned, nuzzling closer to Toothless. Maybe this wasn't the end of the world after all.

 

...

 

"Timothy, what are you doing?" Mom asked, coming up to my room.

 

"Adding to the Night Fury page," I said, looking up from my desk. "Toothless told me some new stuff."

 

"Are you feeling okay?" Mom asked, coming over to me, feeling my forehead. "You don't have a fever."

 

"I'm fine Mom," I said, batting her hand away. "Toothless?"

 

_'Yeah?'_ Toothless asked, looking up.

 

"What's she talking about?" I asked, petting his head.

 

_'Not all dragons can talk to their riders like we do.'_

 

"Huh," I said glancing back at the open book. "Maybe I should add that to the book."

 

"Timothy?" Mom asked, leaning closer to me. "Who are you talking to?"

 

"Toothless," I said, rubbing the scar on my hand where Toothless bit me the day he hatched.

 

"What happened?" Mom asked, noticing the scar.

 

"Toothless bit me," I said absently. "What?" I asked when Mom looked shocked and upset.

 

"Why didn't you tell me?" Mom asked, taking my hand and looking at the scar.

 

"It didn't seem important," I said with a shrug. "It didn't hurt."

 

"When did this happen?" Mom asked, her fingers running lightly over the scar.

 

I shuddered as she touched it, pulling my hand away. "The day I found Toothless." My hand instantly found it's way back to Toothless' head.

 

Mom looked at me for a moment, trying to figure something out. Eventually she smiled softly. "I'll see you two at dinner," she said, standing and leaving the room. "And Timothy?"

 

I looked up at her.

 

"Not everyone has a mental connection to their dragons, what you have is special."

 

I smiled, "I know Mom," I said, scratching Toothless' head.

 

"Don't be late," she said, heading back down the stairs.

 

...

 

_"What happened?"_ I asked, trying to calm the distressed Zippleback/Gronkle mix. _"Where's Savanah?"_

 

_"She fell,"_ Lindsey said, wings fluttering in panic. _"She was on the cliff above the docks and she fell. I couldn't catch her."_

 

I felt cold. _'Toothless, come on,'_ I called, _'To the docks,'_ I muttered as I climbed on.

 

_'She can't have survived that fall,'_ Toothless said as we flew.

 

_'I know,'_ I said, trying to convince myself the tears were from the cold wind rushing my face. _'The least we can do is get her body for her parents.'_

 

Toothless hummed, but didn't say anything, just letting me know he was there.

 

_"There she is,"_ I said when we reached the cliff edge, _'Careful.'_

 

_'I know,'_ Toothless said, flying close to the cliff face. _'I got her.'_

 

_'Good,'_ I said, _'Looks like we've got a crowd.'_

 

_'Are her parents there?'_ Toothless asked, focusing on flying, he hadn't carried two people before.

 

_'Her dad is,'_ I said, _'I don't see her moms.'_

 

_'Maybe that's a good thing,'_ Toothless said grimly.

 

_'Maybe,'_ I said was we landed.

 

"Timothy!" Uncle Jacen said, running up to us. "What happened?"

 

"I don't know," I said, climbing off Toothless. "Lindsey came and told me that Savanah had fallen off the cliff."

 

"She-she fell?" Uncle Jacen said softly, his eyes going over Savanah's limp form.

 

"Someone go get Sara and Rachel!" I yelled into the crowd. I saw several people run off in different directions as I knelt next to him. "Lindsey said she didn’t suffer," I said softly. "Lindsey tried to catch her, but she wasn't fast enough."

 

Jacen nodded and stood, wiping tears from his eyes as Sara and Rachel joined the crowd. "Let's get her home," he said, "Rachel, you help Sara."

 

Rachel nodded, keeping Sara from collapsing to the ground in sobs. Jacen went to pick up Savanah's body.

 

Lindsey landed between Savanah and Jacen, baring her teeth at him, fire glowing in the back of her throat.

 

_"Lindsey!"_ I yelled, _"Let him get Savanah!"_

 

Lindsey blinked, the fire dying. _"What happened?"_ she asked, slowly moving away from Savanah and Jacen.

 

_"You went wild,"_ I said, _"You weren't you."_

 

Lindsey looked at me, then back at Savanah. She let out a heart wrenching roar and took off into the air.

 

"Timothy?" Mom said, coming towards me as the crowd left. "What was that? What did you say?"

 

"What do you mean?” I asked, turning from where I had been staring after Lindsey.

 

"You roared," Mom said, "Like a dragon."

 

"I did?" I asked, looking over at Toothless, _"Did I?"_

 

"You did it again!" Mom said, "What's going on Timothy?"

 

Toothless stood and moved between me and Mom, looking at me. _'Timothy,'_ he said, his voice low and urgent, _'We need to talk. I didn't think this would come up so soon.'_

 

I nodded, climbing into the saddle. Toothless took off, leaving everybody behind.

 

...

 

_'Toothless, what's going on?'_ I asked when we landed in the cove where I first found him, _'I'm starting to get scared.'_

 

_'Don't worry Timmy,'_ Toothless said, sitting in front of me. _'You're fine, nothing is wrong with you. You're special.'_

 

_'How special?'_ I asked, leaning into Toothless, it was getting dark and cold.

 

_'You can talk to dragons for one,'_ Toothless began, _'Not just tame ones. Those dreams you've been having since Hiccup died aren't just dreams, they're bits of Hiccup's life. You are the true heir of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III.'_

 

_'But I'm only 10!'_ I exclaimed, _'I can't do that!'_

 

_'Hiccup was only 10 when he found me and changed the world as he knew it. Age doesn't matter in this. All that matters is brains and bravery.'_

 

_'I need to talk to Gobber,'_ I muttered, holding my head in my hands. _'He knew Hiccup best, right?'_

 

_'Other than me,'_ Toothless said, _'Do you want to go now?'_

 

_'In a few minutes,'_ I said, curling up to Toothless. _'I'm just tired. So much has happened today."_

 

Toothless curled up around me, purring softly. _'Go to sleep. I'll watch.'_

 

...

 

"Hey Gobber?" I asked, walking into the forge a few hours later. "Will you tell me about my grandma, when he was my age?"

 

Gobber finished the sword he was working on and turned to me, "Can't ya ask your mum about him?"

 

"You knew him best," I said, "And she didn't know him when he was my age. Please?"

 

Gobber sighed, setting the sword aside and sat down, rubbing his forehead. "Hiccup was a bit of an outsider, always was.

 

"He spent all of his time in the forge until he found Toothless, then I barely ever saw him. He gained popularity and confidence after that, but he was always more at home around the dragons. Why are you asking?"

 

"Toothless, my Toothless, was asking. I realized that I really didn't know that much about him."

 

"He became more closed off when his Toothless died," Gobber agreed, "You never got to see him in his glory days. Before Toothless changed you should have seen them in the air. Afterwards, Hiccup didn't seem to like flying as much. I asked him why once, he said that it wasn't the same with the wings as it was with Toothless. So he stayed on the ground, trained the kids, but he was happy.

 

"Toothless was sick for a long time before he died, we didn't know what was wrong with him, but he wasted away. He couldn't breathe when he did more than walk slowly.

 

"He loved you guys though," Gobber said thoughtfully, "You were the last thing he saw. Hiccup said you were the only thing keeping him alive by then, his will to see you."

 

I nodded, standing up. "I'll see you later Gobber!" I called, waving as I left.

 

Gobber nodded to me and Toothless as we left the forge.

 

_'Let's go,'_ I said to Toothless. _'We have work to do.'_


End file.
